With no apparent end in sight to the Ipod’s dominance of the MP3 player market, the number Ipod accessories on the market has been increasing rapidly. The design of the Ipod not only lends itself to accessorizing but the versatility of the device can be greatly increased when used with other products.

Altec Lansing has done a very good job of capitalizing on the success of the portable media devices with a line of products designed to be used with them. Their inMotion series offers a number of different products which work directly with Ipods, Treos, and even XM2go receivers as speakers so that the portable devices can be used, at home or on the go, do that users can listen without headphones.

This review is going to take a look at Altec Lansing’s IM5 speaker system. This highly portable system is designed to work with any version of the Ipod and to be able to deliver high quality sound without the need for headphones.

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The IM5 is a very simply device. Its main function is to be used with an Ipod and act as a pair of mobile speakers, something which is extremely useful though its been done before. The big question is- what does the IM5 bring to the table that the multitude of products which are already on the market do not?

Like the competitors the IM5 is able to charge your Ipod while it is docked. What sets the IM5 apart is its interesting form factor (20 oz. and 8.4″ x 2.1″ x 3.8″), slick design, and the fact that is really designed to be portable. In order to make sure that it can handle travel, the IM5 was designed to have its vulnerable parts tuck away and to be shock-resistent. This does not mean you should feel free to throw it about or punt it to friends, but it should be able to stand up to the expected trials presented to any mobile product.

Despite its small size the IM5 is said to be able to deliver quality sound. This is extremely tough for tiny device, they all to often have sound with is “tinny” and falls apart at higher volumes. Altec Lansing does not provide much information about the speakers but they do use MaxxBass technology, which is said to increase bass response without the need for a subwoofer. This is certainly a good sign as smaller units tend to lack sufficient bass, though given the size of the unit it will be interesting to see how it performs.

The unit is said to be made for Ipod Nano, Mini, fourth generation, and third generation, but it is forward-compatible with newer products, like the video Ipod.

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Overall the IM5 is small and sleek. Like most Ipod accessories, the design is very Ipod-esqe, something which apparently can’t go wrong. The most prominent features are the silver speaker grilles over the speakers, which look more like the front of the G5 than the Ipod, but definitely have an Apple feel to them. The large button on the front of the unit can be pressed to have the dock pop out from the underside of the unit so that the Ipod can be put into place.

The back of the IM5 has a power connection (on the rear of the dock), to compartments for speakers, and a rubber panel, under which are the connections. The IM5 holds four AA batteries (not included) from which Altec says to expect about 24 hours of life. The unit does not have to use batteries and can instead be plugged into a wall outlet.

After peeling back the rubber cover the rear connections can be accessed. The connections here are: composite, AUX, Sub Out, and power. The yellow composite is for video- media from the Ipod video can be watched on television. The auxiliary and Sub Out connections will probably not get very much use but they do increase the usefulness of the IM5 a good deal as they allow it to work with other devices.

The portable stereo speakers come along with a small pile of accessories. In addition a very nice carrying bag the package includes the AC/DC adapter, a 3.5,, stereo cable, dock adapters, for the Mini and Nano, and converters which all the power adapter to be used in a number of different countries.

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Once the IM5 was set up and an Ipod was docked, I listened closely to the device to examine the sound quality. Upon a thorough inspection I noted that that sound quality was good for a device of this size, but did not measure up to some of its competitors. The IM5’s sound quality is not unlike that of other smaller speakers, which produce a rather thin, metallic sound which have trouble reproducing bass. Given how compact the unit it, the sound quality is more than acceptable and the upper levels of the volume enables it to be nice and loud. This makes the IM5 a great choice for travel or areas with limited space, like a dorm room or studio apartment. If you want higher end sound you may want to think about adding the optional subwoofer or upgrading to the IM7.

Conclusion

In the IM5 Altec Lansing set out to design a no-nonsense portable speaker system for the Ipod. Though the product suffers from certain limitations, they did a good job with it- the sound quality is acceptable and it features a great form factor.

The IM5 does have a few problems though, and these should be noticed before buying. First, the lack of a FM/AM tuner is annoying, but understandable as this is the case with much of the competition as well and the lack of a tuner allows the controls to be much more simple. Secondly, the price of the IM5 means it is not exactly a small purchase, but you have to pay a premium for quality mobile products. Finally, despite the difference in design, the advantages of the IM5 over the IM3 are not completely clear. As for the sound quality, this is a tough decision but the IM5 is certainly not the class leader, for this you will have to upgrade to something larger, like the Logitech mm50 or Altec’s IM7.

Hi-Fi (+)– Very portable– Cool design– Easy to use

Low-Fi (-)– Not cheap– No bass/treble adjustment– Volume high when powered On– No remote